Whatever it Takes
by F.E.Emerson
Summary: A late night call is all it takes for perspectives to change.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This is my first GA fan fiction. It's somewhat AU in the fact that Jo is a little more innocent than she is on the show. I hope you like it!**

Alex groaned as he rolled over and picked up the annoying cell phone.

"It's 2 am. Someone better be dying, or I swear…" He was cut off by the trembling voice on the other end.

"Alex, I need you to come and get me." She whispered so low that had it not been for the caller id, he wouldn't have known who it was.

"Jo? Where are you?" Alex sat up in his bed. He was wide awake now, every nerve ending on high alert.

"I'm- I'm at Joes'," she strangled out. He started to ask why she just didn't have her date bring her home, but knew the reason. He never liked that guy. He tried to warn Jo a few different times that he was bad news. Each time, she just shrugged him off, chalking it up to his male ego. After all, Jason Myers was the type of guy every girl wanted; charming, intelligent, good looking and a successful doctor.

Alex was already dressed and out the door. "I'm almost there." He hung up his cell and tossed it into the passenger seat. On the ride over, a hundred scenarios passed through his head as he contemplated what made her call him. None of them were good. If Jason did anything to hurt her, well, it wouldn't be pretty.

Alex nodded to Joe as he made his way into the bar. Realizing why Alex was there, he nodded almost imperceptibly in Jo's direction and went back to wiping down the bar. Joe had a sixth sense about relationships. Those two could tell themselves all they wanted that they were "just friends".

Alex walked up behind Jo. She jumped slightly when he touched her elbow. "Jo?" he said, almost cautiously.

She turned around to show her tear streaked face. "Alex. Can we please just get out of here?" She looked so defeated, nothing like the feisty girl he had first met.

"Where's Jason? Weren't you two on a date or something?"

Jo lifted her eyes to scan across the room. He followed her line of vision to the sight of a very cozy interaction between Stephanie Edwards and Jason.

Needing no further explanation, Alex guided Jo up the steps of the bar and out into the damp Seattle air.

The ride home was quiet, except for the hum of the Camaro's engine. Occasionally, Alex would cast a sidelong glance at the woman in the passenger seat. Jo kept her gaze fixed on the world outside. Alex couldn't take it anymore.

"What happened?" asked Alex.

Jo slowly looked over at Alex, but couldn't muster the courage to explain everything. Not yet.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks so much for all of the wonderful reviews! I am humbled. I hope I don't disappoint. So, here goes nothing. I hope all of you like it.**

* * *

**Twelve months ago**

It was exactly three days ago that he got the call to come to Iowa. Three days ago that she asked him to return home to help her say goodbye to the two people who raised her and loved her more than life itself. It was just an ordinary day to anyone else, but instead a drunk driver went across the yellow line and changed her life forever. Now, three days later, Jo held on to the only person left in her life as she sat through their eulogy, as she threw dirt on their caskets, as her and Alex walked away from the grave site.

"What am I going to do without them?" asked Jo, as fresh tears began to fall. "I – I have no family left now. Without them, and with no brothers or sisters, I'm all – all alone."

"I know it seems that way, but you still have me." Alex pulled her in tighter to his side and rubbed his hand up and down her arm.

"True, but, you live in Seattle. You can't come 1700 miles one way every time I feel sad or need to see a familiar face."

Alex turned Jo to face him, holding her by her arms. "Jo, you know that I would do anything for you. I haven't forgotten the promise I made to you and your mom and dad that I would always look out for you. I've been thinking these past few days, why don't I come back here, back home? You can finish college at Iowa State. I can transfer my residency to a hospital in Des Moines. You won't have to uproot…"

Jo interrupted him, shaking her head. "No, Alex, I can't ask you to do that. You've worked so hard to get where you are. You only have one more year left of your residency. I can't ask you to give all of that up. Besides, I don't think that your girlfriend would like it very much."

Alex looked away. "Yeah, well we're really not that serious. At least, not anymore."

Jo placed both hands on each side of his face and turned him to look at her. "Alex, what happened? I thought you two were really happy. You kept talking about maybe getting engaged."

"Yeah, well, things change. She's still hung up on her old boyfriend, Mark. Besides, I don't think that I was ever truly in love with her anyway. She's a great person, but it was never really gonna go anywhere."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It's, it's okay or whatever." Alex took a deep breath. "Look, it's not that big a deal to transfer, really. Jo, I want to do this."

Jo shook her head no again. "I'll be fine. You need to go back to Seattle. Don't worry."

"Don't worry? Not a chance. Look, if you won't let me come back, then you're coming with me." Jo started to protest. Alex held up a hand to stop her. "You graduate in 3 months, right?"

"Right." Jo nodded in affirmation.

Alex grabbed both of her hands in his and looked her in the eyes. _Those beautiful, gorgeous, soulful... __Whoa, where did that come from?_

Jo waved a hand in front of his face. "Alex, you okay?"

"Um, yeah." He gained his composure and continued. "I'll take two weeks off in time for graduation and then help you move to Seattle."

"I don't know…"

"We have lots of hospitals there for you to do your internship. It just so happens that I know some people at this one hospital. Let me think, what's it called," Alex said with a smirk. "Come on, it's perfect. You can stay with me, if you want. Say yes."

"Why would you do this? I'm not your responsibility. Besides, I can take care of myself."

Alex chuckled. _Stubborn, as always. _"No, you're right. You're not. And, I know that you can take care of yourself. I just, well, I miss you. I also feel like I owe your parents so much for watching over me all those years. Can't you let me kind of return the favor and watch over you?" He paused for a moment to brush a wayward strand of hair out of her face.

"Well…"

"You'd be doing me a favor too."

"What, you need someone to do your disgusting laundry?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "Ha, ha! No. I'll just worry about you being here all by yourself. You're saving me from getting an ulcer."

Jo grinned a little. "Why, Alex Karev, if I didn't know any better, I'd think that maybe you cared about me, in your own weird little way, of course."

"Ya think?"

Jo sighed. "This is a big decision, though. I need some time to think about this. My life's always been, well, here. I feel a little funny just leaving right after my parents have died."

"Take all the time you need. I didn't mean to force you into making such a rash decision. I know that you need time to grieve. Just remember that the offer will _always _be on the table."

Ten weeks later, Alex was on his way to Iowa again. This time, when he returned to Seattle, he wasn't alone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys! Thanks again for the great reviews. I hope you like the next installment!**

Jo looked up at the hospital with wide-eyed wonder. She had never seen a medical facility that looked so beautiful. The architecture, with its glass front, was really unlike any she had seen before. They just didn't have buildings like this back in Iowa. She had settled into Alex's newly acquired home about a month ago. In that time, she had become quite familiar with the Emerald City. She had met Alex's "family" and they immediately accepted her as one of them. Now, as she walked through the parking lot of Seattle Grace, she wondered about the new people she would meet here and what new experiences she would have in store.

Alex had the morning off on her first day at the hospital. He offered to go in with her, but she declined. She needed to do this on her own. Alex didn't protest, as he wanted to give her some space and not smother her. As she walked up to the double-doored entrance, she spotted someone who she had met at the mixer the night before.

"You're Stephanie, right?"

"Yeah. Jo?"

"Uh, hm," she nodded in affirmation.

"So, do you think that all the rumors about Medusa are true?" Wow. This girl gets straight to the point. Jo couldn't say that she didn't like that. After all, she was used to it with Alex.

Jo gave Stephanie a questioning look. "Medusa? Who's that?"

"You know, Dr. Grey," Stephanie answered.

"Dr. Grey? Medusa?" Jo scrunched her nose in disbelief. She had gotten to know Meredith pretty well in the past month. She had always been great to her. Jo felt like she was someone she could really look up to, kind of like an older sister.

Stephanie looked around, leaned in and whispered. "Well, I heard that she is a 'monster of mythic proportions'. She screams at all the interns and enjoys it. She makes them do the most vile, disgusting scut work and brags about it to all of her attending buddies."

"Hmm, I met her for the first time about a month ago. She seems pretty cool," replied Jo.

The doors opened and they walked into the main lobby. "So, how did you manage to meet her already?"

"I live in her old house," Jo replied.

"You're an intern, how were you able to afford that?"

Jo shook her head and chuckled. "Let me clarify. I live there with Alex Karev."

"As in Dr. Karev, the Peds attending? What do they call him? Umm, Evil Spawn?"

Jo's smile turned into a full-on belly laugh. "They call him WHAT? Oh, wait 'til I see him. " She shook her head in amusement. "Evil Spawn. Who gave him _that_ name and where on earth did they come up with it?"

Stephanie shrugged. "I think it was Dr. Yang, or something. I don't know. So, seriously, how did you manage to shack up with him so quick? I'll hand it to you. You work fast, girl."

Jo drew up her face in disgust. "Eww, Alex is practically my brother. He and I grew up together in Iowa. It's a long story, but let's just say that nothing funny is going on there."

Stephanie raised up an eyebrow. "Mm, hm. That's what they all say."

Jo shot her a look of disdain. "I'm telling the truth."

Stephanie put up her hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay. If you say so." A smirk formed on her lips. She wasn't exactly buying it.

"Well, I do," Jo countered a little less defensively than before.

"So, if you're not seeing Evil, uh, Dr. Karev, then who are you seeing?" asked Stephanie as they walked down the hall toward the interns' locker room.

Jo shrugged. "Well, I've only been here for about a month, so I haven't had much time to meet anyone. I've spent so much time concentrating on med school that I never really dated all that much anyway. I figured I'd have plenty of opportunities later."

Stephanie shook her head in understanding. "I hear you, but at some point, don't you start to wonder what is out there?"

"Maybe. It isn't like I've _never_ dated. I've been out with a few guys, but none of them ever seemed right. Who knows, maybe I'll find my Mr. Right here." Jo said as they passed a couple of hot-looking residents. They both craned their necks around to get one last glimpse before they turned the corner.

"Not bad."

"Nope, not bad at all," Jo giggled. "So, what about you? Are you seeing anybody?"

"Well, it just so happens that I am. As a matter of fact, I just got this a couple of weeks ago." Stephanie held up her left hand to show off the most dazzling diamond Jo had ever seen.

"Oh, wow! That is gorgeous. It's gotta be a couple of carats."

"2.3 to be exact. Jackson's a doctor and from a very prestigious family. He's very caring and sweet too. Such a perfect combination," she said dreamily.

"Whoa, Jackson? As in Jackson Avery?"

"Yeah. Do you know him?" Stephanie asked, a bit surprised.

"I heard Alex and Meredith talk about him a couple of times. His grandfather is pretty famous. They were pretty excited that the grandson of someone as well-respected as Harper Avery was coming to Seattle Grace. So, you two are engaged? Man, some girls have all the luck." Jo said teasingly.

"I _am_ very lucky. Not only is he from such a successful family, but he's gorgeous," Stephanie said in a sing-song voice.

"I can't wait to meet this guy. He sounds, well…, perfect."

"He is and you will. He's a new resident here."

"In that case, you'll have to point him out to me. So, are you ready to do this?" Jo asked as they headed into the locker room.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Stephanie replied.

* * *

A couple of weeks had gone by since Jo began her internship. She had settled into a normal routine, whatever normal really was for an intern. She had even managed to make a few new friends along the way. Making friends wasn't something that always came easy for Jo. All through her school years, she never really had many. The few that she did have were jealous. Jo was beautiful and they were average. She was intelligent and they were… not. By the time they all reached junior high school, things got ugly. These so-called friends convinced her other classmates that they would be outcasts if they didn't go along with them. These girls owned the school and pretty soon, Jo became the outcast.

She met Alex the summer before 8th grade, when he moved into the house next door. Most 16-year-old boys don't want much to do with a 13 ½ year old girl. It turned out, despite the age difference, they had a lot in common. They spent the entire summer hanging out at each other's houses, listening to their favorite bands and watching TV. The first day of school, one of the girls in the clique approached the new kid in school and warned him about Jo. Alex never believed in violence against a female, but in that instant, he never wanted to slug someone so bad in all of his life. He decided that from that moment on, he would always stand up for Jo and protect her, no matter what.

Jo had formed a pretty good friendship with three fellow interns; Leah Murphy, Shane Ross, and Stephanie Edwards. Jo suspected that her friendship with Leah had more to do with Leah's crush on Alex. She knew that Jo and Alex were close. She had asked her on more than one occasion if he was seeing anybody. Jo made it clear that if she wanted Alex, she would have to do it on her own. Leah seemed to respect that. Even though Jo took that as a good sign, she still remained a little guarded where their friendship was concerned.

Shane and Jo would sometimes quiz each other on different surgical procedures. Alex teased Jo about him having an obvious crush on her. She just blew it off. She really wasn't interested. Sure, Shane was a decent guy, but she just wasn't into him in that way.

She had become the tightest with Stephanie. They spent a lot of time together. Because Alex was Jo's best friend when they were growing up, it felt nice to finally have one that was a girl. She couldn't talk to Alex about some cute guy she liked or a female problem she was having. Nope, not happening.

Jo had just come off of an 18 hour shift. To say that she was tired was an understatement. All she wanted to do was head home and crash. She was about to make it out the door, when she was stopped by a familiar voice. "Jo, what are you doing tomorrow night?" asked Stephanie as she ran to catch up with her.

"Tomorrow night, hmm, well I thought that I would order a pizza and spend the evening with my anatomy book."

Stephanie faked a yawn. "Bo-ring. No. No, you're not."

"I'm not? What do you mean? We've got the exam coming up in a week. I've got to nail this."

"There'll be plenty of time for that the rest of the week. No. You are going out with me and the rest of the interns. I mean, if you keep this up, forty years from now you'll be the old woman on the street with 15 million cats. You know, the one who everybody warns their children to stay away from."

Jo rolled her eyes and stomped her feet. "Ughh, Steph, you're not trying to set me up with someone, are you?"

"Oh, no, no, no. Nothing like that. Girl, you need to get out and live a little. Have a few drinks. Let loose." Just then, Alex passed by. "You know, hang out with someone other than Dr. McBroody."

Alex stuck his tongue out at Stephanie and headed on down the hall.

"All right, fine! I'll go. One night, okay?"

"You won't regret this," Stephanie replied as she headed toward the pit.

"I better not," yelled Jo as she exited out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This part (when I'm about to publish) always excites me because I love hearing what you guys have to say. This chapter was harder for me to write. I'm not totally pleased with it, but I hope you like it anyway! BTW, there is a method to my madness here (yes I am speaking in code). You'll have to read to see what I mean. :).**

"Hey," Alex greeted Jo as she was walking down the hall toward Peds.

"Hey yourself."

"You busy tonight? I know that your exam is coming up soon. I'm not on duty and I thought you might need some help studying."

"Actually, I'm going out with the other interns tonight," replied Jo.

Alex raised his eyebrows. "You never go out! Anywhere. Who are you and what have you done with Jo?"

Jo gave him a look of mock disgust. "Very funny. It just so happens that I do know how to have fun."

Alex hesitated. "Okay, if you say so." Jo punched him in the arm playfully. "So, where are you going and what time will you be back?" Alex asked with a smirk.

"Well, _father_, I'm going to Joe's and I don't know when I'll be home. Satisfied?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just remember that you have rounds with Yang tomorrow. If you don't wanna be banished to the Pit for the next month, you better be there on time."

"Yeah, I definitely don't want to be on her bad side. Do I? _Evil Spawn_?"

Alex shot her a look of warning. "Watch it, _Princess_."

Jo's hand flew to her chest in a gesture of feigned shock. "After all these years, you still insist on calling me that. I think that we've established that I am _not_ a Princess. I grew up in the same neighborhood that you did and went to the same public school." While there wasn't a pretentious bone in her body, she really did look and act like a princess. Alex always meant it as a joke, but he knew there was some truth in the nickname. He might have been her best friend, but he was a guy and he wasn't blind.

Alex raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. You win. You're not a princess, but have you ever noticed that you look like Princess Kate? I mean, you could portray her in a movie, that is, if you were an actress."

"Okay, first, she is technically a Duchess. Second, I could be an actress. Fake tears, remember? Besides, I always thought that I looked more like the girl in Tomb Raider," Jo stated matter-of-factly.

Alex scoffed. "Right. You're not that badass."

Jo raised an eyebrow in disapproval. "Anyway, don't wait up for me tonight and no calling me to see what time I'll be home." She jabbed a finger into his sternum.

"All right, but don't call _me_ expecting me to bail you out of jail or something."

"Me? I would never…," she replied innocently.

Alex started down the hallway to the left toward Peds as Jo went to the right. "Hey," he hollered back to her, "don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Oh, trust me. I wouldn't dare," she yelled just as she rounded the corner.

Jo and Stephanie walked into Joe's and spotted Leah and Shane in a corner booth. They were sitting with a couple of guys Jo had never seen before.

"Who are Leah and Shane sitting with?" she asked Stephanie as they made their way back to the others.

"Oh, well the one sitting by Shane is Jason Meyers, _Dr._ Jason Meyers."

"Oh. Is he a doctor at Seattle Pres? I don't think I've seen him at Seattle Grace."

"He's a new transfer from Mercy West. He doesn't start until next week. I've seen the other guy around. I think he's a paramedic."

"Oh, right. The soon-to-be merger. How did Jackson take the news? Where is he anyway?"

"Well, ever since Mercy West announced the closing, they have worked everybody overtime trying to tie up loose ends. He's also a little depressed, not just because of the hospital closing, but he just found out that he'll be going to Seattle Pres instead. He was all set to start at Seattle Grace and now all the plans have changed."

"So, how are you taking the news?"

"Fine, it's probably for the best. You know, sometimes if you work with your other half, it can destroy the relationship."

"Nice of you to finally join us," Shane said as they made their way to the table.

"Sorry we're late," Jo replied. "Rough evening in the pit."

"No problem," Leah responded as she whacked Shane on the arm. "So, what was it? Multi-car pileup? A knife sticking out of someone's head?"

Jo slid into the booth, finally noticing the guy sitting next to her. He was boyishly handsome, with dark hair and eyes. She could get lost in those eyes. "Huh?" Jo asked distractedly.

"Your case? What was it?" Leah asked again, slightly amused.

"Um, I don't remember." Jo suddenly realized that she was staring and quickly turned away.

"Jo, this is Matthew Taylor," Leah gestured toward him. "He's one of the new paramedics."

"Matt," he replied and stuck out his hand for her to shake.

Jo took his hand. "Dr. Wilson, um, Jo, Jo Wilson. Nice to meet you."

"You too, Jo Jo," he replied with a smile. He leaned in, as if they were sharing some sort of secret. "That's not your real name is it?"

Jo flushed with embarrassment. "No. It's just Jo."

"Well, nice to meet you _Jo_."

"This," Leah motioned toward the other new member of the group, "is Dr. Jason Meyers."

"Jason," he replied, as he held out a hand across the table. Jo shook it. "Nice to meet you Jo." He turned to Stephanie. "Good to see you again Dr. Edwards."

"Please, call me Stephanie," she replied with a bright smile.

They spent the rest of the evening talking and playing a few round of darts. At the end of the night, they all made plans to meet up again at the end of the week. Once they said their goodbyes, Jo and Stephanie stepped out into the cool night air.

"Well, it looks like someone had fun tonight," Stephanie remarked as she nudged Jo in the side with her elbow.

"What do you mean?" Jo asked.

"Oh, come on, don't think I didn't see the looks that you and that paramedic were giving each other."

"That? That's nothing. Just some harmless flirting," Jo replied with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Are you making plans to see each other again? "

"Yeah, with everybody else."

"Do you want to see him without the rest of us tagging along?"

"Well – maybe." Stephanie stared at her hard. "Okay, okay, yes!"

"I knew it! Stick with me and you'll have him eating out of the palm of your hand in no time."

"Ugh," Jo groaned. "That's what I'm afraid of." There was a short pause before they both burst into laughter.

Jo walked as quietly as she could through the front door of the house. She did the best she could to avoid the spot in the floor that would announce her arrival. She didn't even notice the figure lounging on the couch.

"Well, somebody sure had fun tonight," Alex stated smugly.

"Oh, crap!" Jo nearly jumped out of her skin. She walked over and slapped him on the arm – hard. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Good thing I'm a doctor," he replied.

"Not funny. What are _you_ doing up so late? Don't you have to work tomorrow?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"Aww. Were you worried about me?" she asked sarcastically.

"Shut up. Why on earth would _I_ be worried about _you_? You can take care of yourself. Isn't that what you told me?"

"Darn right I can and on _that_ note, I'm going to bed." Jo pretended to yawn and started for the stairs. Truth was, she was too high on the night's events to get any rest. She knew that Alex could read her like a book. He would surely see that _something _went on this evening. She needed to avoid the subject for a little while, just until she could break the news to him. Otherwise, poor Matthew might not know what hit him, literally.

"Okay," Alex replied skeptically. "I guess I'll see you in the morning. Maybe you can tell me how your night went then." Alex could tell something was up with Jo. He knew her too well. There was an odd look on her face, almost like she was smitten with something or _someone_. Part of him was glad that she was finally putting herself out there. The other side, the protective side, didn't want to see her get hurt. Alex wasn't about to interfere, but intervening, that was a different story.


End file.
